Can Horses Eat Bananas? Making Sure That They Are Healthy

Horses are quite expensive and they can be quite difficult to care for simply because they require a lot of love and attention from their owners. However, they are such a joy to take care of and in fact, no other farm or ranch pet can let you experience the same level of joy as when you are horseback riding.

Horses need to eat grass or hay since these types of fodder are able to provide them with 100% of their dietary needs each day. There are some horse owners however, who allow their horses to eat specific fruits and vegetables that contain vitamins and minerals in order to keep horses strong and healthy.

Bananas are readily available and cheap. There are a lot of farmers today who grow them and because they can harvest bananas abundantly, many of them have started to wonder if they could use them to enhance the nutrition of their horses. So, can horses eat bananas?

Letting Horses Eat Fruits

Fruits contain high amounts of antioxidants and what makes them great for horses is the fact that many of these animals will easily learn to love eating them right away simply because they typically taste sweet. Horses love sweets and they can eat large amounts of treats like ripe fruits if they are available.

As a matter of fact, some horses like to eat ripe bananas. In most cases, the owners will specifically order them so that they can let their horses eat bananas because it is high in potassium. Potassium is actually great for muscle function and it can help horses use their large legs properly and efficiently.

Race horses are even given ripe bananas for the exact same reason why professional athletes eat bananas between rounds or while they are still conditioning their bodies. With that said, horses can eat bananas. However, there are a few considerations that you should always keep in mind.

Things To Keep In Mind When Giving Horses Bananas

One of the things that you should consider when giving horses bananas is that bananas contain a lot of sugar. Although they are significantly better than giving your horses sugary mints, you should know that it might not be wise to give them dozens of bananas especially if you are keeping them fit.

Bananas are also not suited to be given to the horses as 100% of their dietary needs. This is why you should never think that these fruits can be used as a good replacement for fodder. In general, horse owners will only let their horses eat 1 or 2 pieces of bananas to help them get more potassium and to serve as treats.

Although you can give them banana peel, you need to know that the bananas must be washed carefully. Do not try to give them leftover bananas or ones that have been left too long in the food bowl. Find ones that have properly ripened and give the horses bananas that are still fresh.

Please keep in mind that mold are deadly to horses, this is why you might want to make sure that the bananas are not rotten before you try to feed it to them. Chop the ends of the banana before giving it to the horse. You should also avoid forcing the horse to eat a banana if the horse does not seem to like it.

Conclusion

Horses can definitely eat bananas for as long as it has been carefully inspected and prepared. They love bananas as treats especially if the fruits are properly ripened. They also like to eat the peel and as a matter of fact, some horses are known to squeeze out the flesh inside so that they can only eat the pee﻿l.

Bananas are also good for the horse’s health because they contain a lot of potassium which can be used to help the horses’ muscles function properly. When giving them bananas, make sure that it is clean and that its edges are chopped off. Avoid giving horses bananas that have mold in them.

My name is Emily Taylor, gardening is my passion and I’m looking forward to sharing it with everyone. I know that there are millions of people out there want their backyard and garden be attractive just like their front yard, so I am here to help you create your own backyard paradise.